Current Environmental Issues: water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Geography

Source: CIA

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic Coordinates: 20 17 S, 57 33 E

Area:

total: 2,040 sq km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

Land Boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 177 km

Maritime Claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural Hazards: cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Terrain

Small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau

Elevation Extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Climate

Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Government

Government Type: Parliamentary Democrazy

Capital: Port Louis

Independence Date: 12 March 1968 (from UK)

Legal System: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International Agreement

Environmental-international Agreement:

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People and Society

Population: 1,274,189 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 23% (male 148,573/female 143,859)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 443,968/female 449,670)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 35,269/female 52,850) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 0.8% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 14.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth:

total population: 73.75 years
male: 70.28 years
female: 77.4 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 1.83 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.4%
male: 88.4%
female: 80.5% (2000 census)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 2.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater Withdrawal (domestic, industrial, agricultural):

total: 0.61 cu km/yr (25%/14%/60%)
per capita: 488 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Irrigated Land: 220 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: arable land, fish

Land Use:

arable land: 49.02%
permanent crops: 2.94%
other: 48.04% (2005)

Energy

Health

Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 0.1% (2001 est.)

Conflict

International Disputes: Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit Drugs: consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry

Economy

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $14.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $6.959 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 4.6% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $11,200 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 25%
services: 70.1% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 8% (2006 est.)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Exports: clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish

Export Partners: UK 28.4%, UAE 14.2%, France 13.2%, US 7.9%, Madagascar 5.7%, Italy 4.4%, Belgium 4% (2006)

Imports: manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Import Partners: India 15.1%, France 13.1%, South Africa 8.2%, China 7.9% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $31.93 million (2005)

Currency: Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Communications

Telephones- main line in use: 357,300 (2006)

Telephones- mobile/cellular: 936,000 (2007)

Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2001)

Television Broadcast Stations: 2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Internet Hosts: 9,792 (2007)

Internet Users: 182,000 (2006)

Transportation

Airports: 5 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,028 km
paved: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)

Ports and Terminals: Port Louis